Reading Reflection W4

It has been explained in the first assigned reading the critical factors that make games more engaging than order. The following 12 elements provide a broad insight into the features of videogames: fun, play, rules, goals, interaction, adaptation, outcome, feedback, rewards, competition, problem-solving, and representation. Among the many definitions given in dictionaries, the author highlights that enjoyment and pleasure are used to define fun that drives players back to do activities. On the other hand, the dictionary definition associates fun with amusement or sarcasm. Pleasure opponents use this idea in order to influence teachers not to apply new teaching methods that involve pleasure. In addition, the writer touched on the belief that learning must be unpleasant in order to be beneficial, which leads to the exclusion of fun from learning, although there is no theoretical justification for this notion that it may be culturally or religiously motivated, which in turn leads to learning being considered as serious and "fun" as trivial. The author has explored the essential problem of the link between enjoyment and learning. The author asserts that fun enhances the learning process in two ways: relaxation and motivation, through a review of evidence from earlier studies. In addition, the author has shown the importance of considering play and games as essential educational instruments by citing the findings of other studies. The writer highlighted the idea of ​​hard work and hard play and how important play is also for adults to enhance their creativity. In fact, work fun is the contemporary concept to address the relationship between these two concepts, play, and work.

Digital Game-Based Learning

This chapter has concentrated on the integration of computer games and learning content in order to introduce digital game-based learning. The term "DGBL" refers to a combination of educational content and computer games. The ability to integrate computer and video games with various educational contents in order to achieve goals and provide better results is the concept of this direction. As a result, DGBL refers to any educational game that can be played on a computer or online and contains content and context to provide learning environments for students learning a specific subject. The three reasons why the DGBL works have been highlighted: 1) adding engagement, 2) employing an interactive learning process, and 3) combining the previous two aspects in one context. In addition, several factors should be considered when integrating computer games with effective learning, such as target users, subject matter, political and business context, technology availability, resource and experience, and distribution method. In terms of players, several factors must be considered, including age, gender, prior experience with the game, and competitiveness.

The last assigned reading is a qualitative case study aimed to investigate how to operationalize students' use of computational thinking skills in designing game tasks through a game design workshop. In this study, situated learning theory was used to evaluate beginner game designers in terms of developing a designer language, mindset, and computational thinking skills. Indeed, the purpose of this study was to explain how the digital game can be an effective means for CT skills, which are decomposition, pattern generalization and abstraction, pattern recognition, algorithm design, data analysis, and visualization. It has been concluded that games are perceived as systems and how the parts meaningfully connect with each other in terms of game design. It has also enhanced computational thinking skills through the use of game design activities.

References

Prensky, M. (2001). Fun, play and games: What makes games engaging. Digital game-based

learning , 5 (1), 5-31.

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Game-Based Learning: Why and How It Works. Digital game-based

learning , 5 (1), 145-179.

Wu, M. L. (2018). Educational Game Design as Gateway for Operationalizing Computational

Thinking Skills among Middle School Students. International Education Studies , 11 (4),15-28.